Skateboards and Snapbacks
by bananannabeth
Summary: Annabeth didn't plan on leaving her essay to the last minute. She didn't plan on running out in front of traffic and being saved like a damsel in distress. She didn't plan on noticing how good her saviour looked without a shirt on. And she definitely didn't plan on falling in love with him. But Percy Jackson has a funny way of making her forget her plans. /Skater!Percy Percabeth AU
1. Chapter 1

**one.**

Taking a night off was a bad idea. Annabeth was stressed. She was stressed and she was tired and she was getting absolutely nowhere with this stupid essay that she should have done the night before but didn't, because Piper had dragged her out to that stupid party. And then of course they'd had to wait for Jason to show up, but he'd apparently decided to be fashionably late, so Piper had ended up keeping Annabeth there way longer than she'd intended. Annabeth hadn't drank all that much, so she wasn't too badly hungover, but she was extremely tired, and that was almost worse.

This essay was due in two hours, but she probably wasn't going to get it finished in time, because a crappy introductory paragraph and a few sparse dot points do not an essay make. But there she was, diligently slaving away as a good student should, typing and deleting and retyping the same paragraph over and over.

She was just about to throw her laptop out the goddamn window when there was a knock on the door. Annabeth looked up, the bones in her neck cracking as she did so, and called, "Come in."

The door creaked open, meeting resistance from the blazer that had fallen off the doorknob as soon as she'd hung it there in the early hours of the morning. It now lay crumpled on the floor, proving a useful blockade. Whoever was on the other side pushed with a bit more force, and the blazer was pushed up against the wall as the door swung fully open. It was Piper.

Annabeth wanted to be pissed off at her for getting her into this predicament, but she was a hard person to stay angry with. Her choppy hair had about five feathers and twice as many braids in it, and she had her hands shoved into the pockets of her jeans in a way that Annabeth knew meant she was feeling particularly sheepish. She'd thought she'd be ropable at the mere sight of her after waking up to an early alarm titled ESSAY DUE TODAY, but seeing Piper standing there with bags under her eyes just made Annabeth feel sorry for her.

"Are you deliberately trying to keep people out of here?" Piper asked, looking down at the blazer which had blocked her entrance.

"If by people you mean you, then yes," Annabeth replied.

Piper sat herself on the end of the bed, on top of one of the dresses Annabeth had considered wearing the night before (she'd discarded it and gone with the blue one, in the end) and hadn't yet found time to hang up. The mattress dipped beneath her and a balled up pair of stockings rolled onto the floor. "I would like to remind you, dear friend, that you do love me and that I was doing a favour getting you out of the house last night. There's this thing called 'going stir crazy', you should probably look it up."

This was all true, and Annabeth was grateful for it. She'd been so overwhelmed with school work and the general change that came with transitioning from high school to college that she'd gone a little study mad. It was nice of her housemate and friend to take her out and force her to socialise every once in awhile. Parties were all part of the college experience, Piper had insisted. And Annabeth had even had fun, when she was there.

But then she'd remembered that she had an essay due, and had promptly gone into panic mode. She'd had to skip her two morning lectures to work on it today, but she could listen to the recordings later, and thankfully she'd been taking detailed notes all semester. She could do this. The dread she was feeling was totally unfounded.

"If you hadn't kidnapped me last night, this essay would have already been done," she said smartly.

Piper rolled her eyes. "' _Kidnapped_ '. God, you're so dramatic. Anyway, I know that. Why do you think I've left you alone this morning? It's penance for last night. Also I've only just woken up."

Annabeth scrunched her nose up and spun back around to face her desk. She wasn't actually mad at Piper, but she was mad at herself for not having done this essay sooner. It wasn't like her to leave something like this to the last minute, and everything about the whole situation felt agonisingly wrong.

Piper made a thoughtful little humming noise. "Sorry, again. How's the essay going?"

Annabeth's notebook sat beside her on the desk. She'd been using it to jot down references and rough sketches, so she didn't get too confused by having dozens of tabs and documents open at once. She ripped a blank piece of paper from it, balled it up and threw it at her friend's face.

She caught it just before it made contact. "Yeah, don't know why I asked that. I could hear you swearing from the kitchen."

Annabeth swung back around in her chair, mortified. "Are you telling me you were in the kitchen and you didn't even bring me food? I'm sitting here, slaving away on this essay I would have already finished if you hadn't dragged me out -"

Piper threw the paper back at her head. She ducked just in time, and it sailed past to hit the window and bounce back on to the desk. "You've got legs," she said.

"Right. Well, the essay just… isn't going. There's nothing. I'm absolutely blocked." Annabeth ran her hands through her blonde hair, pushing the curls back off her forehead so the shorter ones stuck out sideways at odd angles. She slapped herself lightly on the cheeks and breathed out a huge sigh. "I'm doomed."

"Maybe you should take a break," Piper suggested. "Come out and watch some TV, switch off for a little bit. Come back to it later, more refreshed -"

"I can't come back to it later, Piper," Annabeth argued. "There isn't time for a break. It's due in a couple of hours, and I'm not even close to done."

Piper had the grace to look mildly uncomfortable. She rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged one shoulder. "It doesn't have to be good, you know…"

"It does if I want to get into honours," Annabeth shot back.

"I guess, if you really want to sell your soul to someone else's research…"

"Thanks, Piper, you're so inspirational in my time of need." She swung back violently and knocked her knee against the edge of the desk. She swore loudly and dropped her head onto the desk, still muttering a string of muffled curse words.

Piper winced in sympathy. "I really think you need a break."

Annabeth sat back and pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes until she saw spots of colour against the black. "Please leave."

"Really, Annabeth, you've still got plenty of time," Piper said in a placating manner as she stood. "Don't stress yourself out about it."

She was at the door when Annabeth called over her shoulder, "Are you making dinner anytime soon?"

Piper scoffed. "It's two in the afternoon."

"Lunch then?"

"I'm not your slave."

Annabeth shrugged and said, "Okay, go out drinking by yourself next time then."

"You didn't even drink that much, you baby!" There was a pause, and then, "Toasted sandwich okay?"

"What kind of toastie?"

"Vegetarian. Probably cheese."

"Yes please."

Piper muttered something about lazy people taking advantage.

Annabeth said loudly, "Love you!"

She didn't have to turn around to hear the smile in Piper's voice when she replied, "Yeah, you too. Loser."

Spurred on by the power of melted cheese and white bread, Annabeth eventually completed the essay. By the time she was done with her references she didn't even care that her entire concluding paragraph was essentially just the same sentence reworded six times. She printed it, stapled it together and tossed the pages into her bag.

She grabbed the blazer shoved behind the door and ran into the lounge, awkwardly twisting her arms into the sleeves and juggling her messenger bag as she went.

Rachel was lying on the couch, her legs hanging over the arm and her mass of red curls taking up an entire cushion by themselves. Piper was squished up the other end, scrolling through her Twitter and only half-watching the trashy reality tv show that was on. Both looked up as Annabeth crashed into the wall.

Rachel arched her eyebrow. "Done?"

"Done."

Piper smiled her most charming smile. "Proud of you."

"Still have to hand it in on time," Annabeth said as she opened the door. "Damn hard-copy submissions."

Her friends called out something encouraging as she bolted, but the exact details were lost when the door slammed shut behind her.

She made it two steps before she noticed the bright orange construction cones and barricades at the end of the building. They blocked the entire path, stretching right around the road that encircled the oval. On the other side, workers in hard hats and fluoro jackets were digging up the bitumen. Little detour arrow signs pointed to the right, out onto the public street. Great. That meant she'd have to walk right around all the residential colleges, past the sports fields, and in through the side gate, which was going to take far longer than she'd like. She looked hopelessly at the construction workers, wishing they'd chosen any day but today. Wishing wasn't going to make them go away, however, so she started in the opposite direction.

Compared to the temperature inside her small apartment, the Fall air was brisk. Annabeth's cheeks took on a pink hue as she half-jogged, half-marched the equivalent of two-city blocks to the side gate of campus. With every step her bag clunked against her hip, the weight of her assignment urging her forward. There was a steady stream of cars flowing down the street from both directions, and a couple of times Annabeth had to step aside to let some runners pass on the footpath. A girl from one of her tutes waved as she rode past on her bicycle, and Annabeth desperately wished that her own bike didn't have a flat.

The side entrance to the campus was one of the busiest. It was on a main road, on the other side of which was one of the most popular parks in the city, so the entire area was always congested. The constant stream of traffic meant that they'd installed lights at the gate.

Annabeth paused just long enough to register the walk signal, and went to step out onto the road - only to be yanked violently backwards, shrieking and stumbling back onto the curb just in time for a car to speed past, close enough to make her hair fly sideways over her face. Her mouth fell open in shock and her hand flew to her racing heart. She'd fallen against something solid and warm, and while it provided a comforting support, she hurried to regain composure. She pushed herself away and turned around to see who it was that had probably saved her life.

The first thing she registered was a bare chest: an extremely tanned, extremely muscular bare chest. Her eyes widened and her heart did something that felt like a somersault. She looked up to see who the chest belonged to and saw a guy roughly her age. He was around half a head taller than her, broad shouldered with a strong, angular jaw and dark hair squashed under a backwards snapback. He was staring at her with an expression caught between amused and bewildered. He was holding a skateboard at his side, and the bright blue underside contrasted with the dark denim of his jeans. There was a grey t-shirt tucked into his back pocket, and the smallest sliver of the band of his underwear (also blue, Annabeth couldn't help but note) was visible around his hips. Annabeth's heart continued its gymnastics routine as she forced herself to meet his gaze. The intensity of his stare made her shift, acutely aware of the fact that they were standing toe to toe.

Stupidly, she felt suddenly over dressed. She was wearing her clothes from the previous night - a cocktail dress and blazer. She had the horrifying realisation that she was still wearing last night's makeup, too; she probably had dark eyeshadow and pink lipstick smudged across her face. She tugged on the strap of the bag he'd used to pull her to safety and swept her tangled hair over her shoulder, trying to twist it into something vaguely presentable. His sea green eyes didn't leave her face even as she tried to avert her gaze, fumbling for the right way to say thanks. His silence didn't help her nerves.

"Thank you!" she blurted. "I saw the walk signal and I just, well, I'm in a hurry, I have this essay I need to hand in. I'm not normally like this, I swear. Normally I'm not a rush to hand in essays and normally I look both ways before crossing the street… But anyway, what sort of person doesn't stop at a red light -"

The sound of him chuckling made her draw in a breath. Her cheeks flushed. She gave him a moment to speak, perhaps ask her if she was alright or respond to her thanks in some way, but he didn't say a word. He was just looking at her, wide eyed. She wondered what he was seeing that could inspire the wonder in his expression, because at that moment she felt like the human embodiment of a train wreck. He leaned towards her, closing what little personal space there had been between them. Panic ignited inside Annabeth and her polite smile slipped. She took a small step back, leaning away. He remained where he was, no longer advancing but not moving away, either. She held her breath, waiting to see what he'd do next.

When he remained silent, she pursed her chapped lips and said, "Well, uh, I do have an essay to hand in. So. Thanks… I guess."

As she turned around, she heard the click of his skateboard hitting the ground. "Want an escort? To make sure you don't step out in front of any more cars?" His voice was rich, warm and laced with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

Indignation overrode her embarrassment. She stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"You're excused." He flashed her an endearing smile and took off on his skateboard, sailing across the clear crossing. He stopped at the other side and looked back at her, indicating she should follow. Only because she had no other way to go, Annabeth did. She kept on walking right past him, however, head held high and shoulders back.

He let her get a bit of a head start before skating up beside her, easily matching her pace. She took quick little steps, trying to outpace him without making it obvious. Like this was now some sort of competition.

After a few moments of walking - and skating - in relative silence, she asked, "Are you going to follow me the entire way?"

"Depends where you're going." He kicked his board out and walked with her as she jogged up a flight of stairs, dropping it back down when they reached the top. In one fluid movement, as though he'd never stopped in the first place, he took off skating again.

Annabeth checked her watch. Fifteen minutes. She'd never cut it this close before. Talking just to take her mind off the looming deadline, she answered his question, "To hand in my Architecture essay. You?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Architecture? Is that your major?"

"Yes," she replied. For some reason she was pleased with the way his eyes lit up at her words. "What's yours?"

He grinned. "Marine Biology. I'm going to hand in a report, promise I'm not actually stalking you."

They turned at the same time, walking under the cathedral arches of the quadrangle, one of the older buildings on campus. Gargoyles sat in the corners, and Annabeth glanced up at them as they passed. Their hunched shoulders and beady eyes unnerved her every single time.

The guy must have followed her gaze, because he said, "They remind me of monkeys."

"Monkeys?" She glanced from him to the gargoyles and back again, not seeing it.

"Yeah. They look kind of like little monkeys, perched up there." He gestured vaguely towards the roof and then waved his arms in a brief imitation of a monkey.

She laughed, and the sound echoed throughout the quad, which was deserted apart from them. "They're some pretty ugly looking monkeys. No offence."

He flashed her a crooked smile. Her pulse raced. Oh, no.

They lapsed again into silence, but this time it felt more comfortable. The sound of Annabeth's footsteps and the rhythmic rolling of his wheels was more than enough to fill the space around them.

It was when they entered the courtyard at the other end of the corridor that he spoke again. "Percy."

She glanced at him sideways. "Annabeth."

"Nice name."

"Thanks. You too."

He smiled sheepishly and did a funny little wave. Annabeth saw a glimpse of black ink tattooed on the inside of his left forearm. He lowered his arm before she could get a proper look, but she thought it looked like a trident. She found herself curious to see it in its entirety. She felt his eyes on her face, and looked up to see him watching her intently.

"So, Annabeth."

The sound of his voice saying her name made her smile. "Yeah?"

She could see a spark of recognition in his eyes as he stared at her. It made no sense, and her heart was racing at a million miles an hour because she'd just met this guy, but he was looking at her like he'd been waiting his whole life to see her. She found herself staring back just as intensely, unable to look away.

A loud ring came from her coat pocket, startling her out of the moment. She shoved her hand into her pocket to retrieve her phone.

His laugh was rich as he casually stepped back, dropping his skateboard with a small clatter. "Do you often play chicken with cars?"

"Oh, shut up," she said, but it lacked her usual sting.

The ringing was an alarm, letting her know that her essay was due in ten minutes. It was originally meant to be a celebratory thing, or at least that was how she'd pictured it when she'd programmed it weeks ago. Now it rang like a death knell. She silenced it with a grimace. "I really have to go, this essay's due in ten minutes and I have no idea how I'm going to make it to the Architecture building in time."

Percy smiled. "Come with me, I know a shortcut."

His shortcut may have involved a door that Annabeth had thought was rigged to set off the fire alarm when opened, followed by sliding down the banister of a staircase - nothing like the risk of falling to your death to put a late essay into perspective - but it worked. They sprinted into the Architecture building with three and a half minutes to spare.

Jogging over to the submission box, Annabeth swung her bag off her shoulder and began rummaging through it for her assignment. As her fingers groped blindly in the dark, she had a momentary breakdown. For a second she thought it wasn't in there, that she'd dropped it on the ground back at the apartment, that it had fallen out when Percy had yanked her back from the road, that she'd never even put it in there in the first place. She was having such an off day she wouldn't have been surprised.

Percy's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Are you okay? You seem a bit frazzled."

" _Frazzled_."

He avoided her gaze. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Finally she found the paper. She pulled it out triumphantly and said, "Come on. I don't want to get this close and still be late."

There was no need to worry, however. Her assignment was time and date stamped, signed and submitted with a minute to spare, and Annabeth momentarily felt invincible. She did a little happy dance once the paper had disappeared down the submissions shoot before spinning back to Percy, who was leaning against the opposite wall with his hands in his pockets. He was still shirtless, the muscles of his chest and abdomen thrown into sharp relief by the fluorescent lights of the hall.

"Thank you!" she gushed. "Oh, that's such a relief!"

He smiled at her and rubbed the back of his neck. "Glad I could help."

There was an awkward silence, and then the two of them spoke at the same time.

"If you're not doing anything -"

"I should probably go hand my essay in -"

Annabeth laughed lightly at his mortified expression, even as she processed what he'd just said, and what _she'd_ just said. "You go first."

"I… I should probably go hand in my report." He glanced up at the clock on the wall and then back over to her, brow furrowed as though he was having trouble deciding something.

She felt her face crumple, but quickly tried to save it. She hadn't even been asking him out - she'd had nothing but genuinely friendly intentions - but she couldn't blame him for turning her down; He probably just felt sorry for her, the awkward girl who ran out in front of traffic and needed help getting across her own campus. She shrugged one shoulder and folded her arms over her chest in a protective hug. "Yeah, of course. Sorry for holding you up."

Percy looked concerned, now, but the pity in his sea green eyes was worse than rejection. "Annabeth -"

She cut him off, ducking her head and half-turning away. Her voice came out in a harsh snap. "Thanks, again. For all your help."

In her periphery she saw his mouth working silently, as though he couldn't decide on what to say. In the end, he didn't say anything at all. She felt his hand on her arm, a steady pressure by her elbow, but by the time she looked up he was already walking away.

* * *

 **a.n.** my tumblr is bananannabeth and i have a skater!percy tag if you'd like to check out the inspiration for this / follow the fic there.


	2. Chapter 2

**two.**

Despite her better judgment, Annabeth told Piper about her encounter with the hot skateboarding stranger. The more she talked about it the more idiotic she felt, and the more unattainable he seemed to become. Piper was of an entirely different opinion, her eyes lighting up at the mere mention of her friend meeting a guy. She was probably already planning double dates with her and her crush Jason by the time Annabeth had finished the tale.

"How many Percys can there be at this school?" Piper said brightly. "He can't be too hard to find."

"I'm probably never going to see him again," Annabeth said, aiming for casual indifference and instead hitting sad desperation. She sighed. "I made an idiot of myself, anyway, it's probably for the best -"

"Whoa, wait, did Annabeth just call herself an idiot? What's going on in there? Is the world ending?" Rachel stuck her head around her bedroom door, one earbud dangling in her hand and charcoal smudged across her cheek.

Annabeth huffed. "I did not call myself an idiot. I meant that I acted like an idiot."

Rachel took out her other earbud and came to join them in the lounge. "When?"

Annabeth recounted an abridged version of the story, this time with frequent interjections from Piper.

When she was finished Rachel nodded serenely, her green eyes wide. "Yeah, that was pretty embarrassing."

Piper gasped as though she was the one who'd been offended. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare!"

"Thanks," Annabeth snapped.

Rachel shrugged. "Just saying. He sounds pretty hot and you were pretty flustered. What's his name, anyway?"

"Percy," Annabeth said. Her heart did a weird little stutter and she felt like she might die, because this was very much not how she operated.

Rachel sat up straighter at that. "Percy?"

"Yeah, why? Do you know him?" A strange combination of hope and jealousy flared inside Annabeth's chest.

"The name sounds familiar…" Rachel tapped her chin, leaving streaks of charcoal on her freckled skin. "Do you know his major?"

"Marine Biology."

"Hm." Rachel stood and wandered back into her room, muttering to herself. This happened frequently enough that her housemates had learned not to bother asking what she was doing.

"You talked about your majors?" Piper exclaimed, gripping Annabeth's knees and staring into her eyes. "This is amazing! We can definitely find him now. And look, you've already chatted and gotten the pleasantries out of the way, so now you can move on to -"

"To what, Piper? Happily ever after? Don't you think that if he was interested, he wouldn't have bailed like he did?"

Annabeth's stomach twisted. She hated to think that way, but she was logical, and she had to try and bring some sense back into this entire nonsensical conversation. She'd run into a guy on her way to hand in an essay and made a fool of herself, and that was that. This wasn't fate, there wasn't any divine intervention - there was just Annabeth and Percy and a chance encounter. That was all.

"You said he was on his way to hand in an assignment, too. He probably had a deadline, just like you," Piper persisted.

For a second, her words made Annabeth feel better. That was a logical explanation; he did say he was on his way to hand in an essay, and he had looked a little sad when he'd told her he had to go…

No. She shouldn't allow herself to get swept up in this.

Annabeth shook her head. "He didn't give me his number, or ask to add me on facebook, or give me any indication at all that he liked me. You're reading into this way too much."

"Or maybe you're not reading into it enough. Boys can be obtuse like that, you know. Maybe he was overwhelmed by your beauty and your intelligent wit and he lost his nerve."

Annabeth laughed so hard she was shaking.

She only stopped when Rachel called from her room, "Is this him?"

Annabeth and Piper scrambled off the couch in a tangle of limbs and raced over to Rachel's desk. In the midst of a scattered layer of charcoal sketches sat the redhead's laptop, with a familiar handsome face on the screen. It was a headshot, not of the best quality, like a student ID photo, but Percy was smirking at the camera in a way that was entirely inappropriate for any kind of official ID. His sea green eyes were glinting as though he knew a secret you didn't, and his skin was even more tanned than Annabeth remembered, like he'd spent weeks on the beach.

Annabeth made a strange little noise, halfway between a squeal and a squeak. "How did you find that?"

"Perseus Jackson. He was in my orientation group," Rachel said, sounding very pleased with herself. "He was a bit of a smartass, from what I remember. Totally hot though. Like, damn."

Piper was looking from Annabeth to the picture and back again. "Oh. I thought he'd be more…"

The other two turned to her, eyebrows raised in disbelief. Annabeth found it impossible to concede that someone could look at that face and not feel some kind of primal attraction stir within, but Piper's pretty face was scrunched up as though she'd been sucking on a lemon.

"More blonde?" Rachel said with an eyeroll.

Piper pouted and scuffed her toes on the carpet. "No, I just -"

"Can't find anyone but Jason hot," Annabeth said. "Which is fine, because I guarantee I have enough competition for him already without you liking him, too."

Rachel hummed. "Yeah, about that -"

Annabeth hit Rachel's shoulder, a little bit more forcefully than she'd intended to. "Hands off, Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

Rachel rubbed her shoulder and shot the blonde a deadly glare. "You're welcome, by the way," she muttered.

Annabeth patted her shoulder, making sure to be gentle. "Thanks."

"So do you know how to contact him?" Piper asked.

Rachel clicked off the photo and it shrunk back to icon size. Annabeth leant forward to try and scan the accompanying text, but copped a faceful of red curls as Rachel shifted in her seat.

"Not from this… _but_ …" She grinned maniacally. "Leave it with me."

Annabeth hesitated. "What are you doing?"

"Working some magic, Chase. Now bugger off and let the master work. I'll call you when I'm done."

Piper gripped her arm and tugged her from the room, ducking carefully under the watercolours strung up across the top of the doorframe.

"She scares me when she gets like that," she whispered once they were back on the couch.

Annabeth glanced back, but she couldn't see anything. She could just hear furious typing and the occasional click of a mouse. She tried to quench the little flame of hope that had ignited when she'd seen Percy's face again. Even if Rachel could figure out a way to contact him, what was she going to say?

 _Oh hey, it's Annabeth, you know that girl you saved from being hit by a car earlier today? Yeah well I spent my afternoon stalking you until I found a way to contact you, tah-dah! Please message back because I am desperate and sad._

No. Definitely not.

"I can't just sit here and wait," she announced, jumping to her feet and startling Piper so bad she dropped her phone. "I'm going to clean my room."

Thing is, her room wasn't really that messy. There was the dress she'd discarded the night before to put away, two pairs of tights with ladders to be thrown out, and a few loose pieces of graph paper and some textbooks to be filed away, but it wasn't actually messy. It was just Annabeth messy. So it only took her about five minutes to straighten it all up, and then she was left standing in the middle of a tidy room daydreaming about how Percy Jackson's bare chest had felt beneath her palms.

This was getting out of control.

Just when she was about to yell out to Rachel and tell her not to bother, a triumphant shout came from the other end of the apartment. There was the sound of scuffling paper followed by feet padding down the hall and then Rachel was standing in her doorway, beaming. Piper scurried up behind her and stood on tiptoe to peer over her shoulder.

"Here," she said, holding out a piece of paper.

Annabeth took it. A rough table had been drawn on it in pencil and each square was filled in with Rachel's handwriting. The left hand column listed classes, the middle one listed buildings and the right hand side listed times. Annabeth scanned it, took a second to comprehend it, and then read it again just to make sure she hadn't read it wrong or misunderstood it.

"Is this -?"

"Percy Jackson's timetable, it is indeed."

She blinked at her housemate, properly stunned. "How did you get this? Did you hack the school system?"

Rachel winked. "I work in mysterious ways, Annabeth. Just take your prize and be happy."

Piper pushed around her and ran in to get a proper look at the timetable. She pressed herself up against Annabeth's side and clapped her hands together. "You can bump into him after one of his classes! Look, he's got a break tomorrow from one to three, and you're off for lunch from one to two. It's perfect!"

Annabeth shook her head, slightly dazed. This was not the reaction she'd been expecting to the news that she'd happened to bump into a hot guy. "What will I say to him?"

" _Hi, Percy, what a surprise, I didn't expect to see you here!_ " Rachel offered sarcastically. Her expression softened when she saw Annabeth glaring at her. "Just start with hello and go from there, maybe?"

"But -" Annabeth faltered. She glanced from Rachel to Piper and then down to the paper she was still clutching. She felt like this was an awful idea, but she couldn't deny that she wanted to see Percy again… Surely it couldn't do any harm to see him just one more time. If he blew her off again, fine, she'd leave it be. But maybe she could make a better impression this time. Her egotism overrode her fear. She took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll 'bump into him' on my lunch break tomorrow."

Piper threw her arms around her in a hug and Rachel grinned.

"But," Annabeth said warningly as she tucked the timetable into the front pocket of her bag, "if he's still not interested you have to promise to let it go. And if I embarrass myself again I'm blaming the two of you."

* * *

This was a stupid plan, doomed for failure. Annabeth felt shaky, which was ridiculous, because Annabeth was brave and composed and not one to get emotional over a boy, especially one she didn't even know. And yet.

She sat on the bench out the front of the Biology building, wiggling her foot back and forth and waiting for Percy's lecture to finish.

It was twelve fifty seven. She'd been allowed to leave her design tutorial early after finishing the assigned work, and she'd practically raced over to the back of campus, where all the older buildings were. The Biology building had been built in the 1800s but was inspired by Greco-Roman architecture. White columns stood on either side of the wide, blue door, and ivy laced its way up the brickwork. Annabeth peered into the windows and prayed that Percy wasn't in one of those front facing rooms and couldn't see her sitting there.

Twelve fifty eight. This was ridiculous. Why was she here? What was she going to say to him? Was she going to approach him? Or should she just wait, and see if he approached her? But what if he didn't see her? She didn't know how many people were in his class, what if they all came out at once and he didn't even see her through the crowd?

Twelve fifty nine. She stood up, contemplated walking away, took two steps and sat back down. Her fingers twitched. She swung her bag up onto her lap and pulled out her laptop so that she could pretend to look busy. When she opened the screen the clock in the corner ticked over to one pm. It took all of her willpower to keep her eyes on the screen and not run towards the door of the building across from her.

It opened, and she chanced a look. A small group of people filed out, laughing together. A girl followed, yawning, and then came a guy talking on his phone. There wasn't a massive crowd, but a steady stream of students continued out the doors, and Annabeth continued watching, trying to be subtle about it. Percy didn't appear.

The stream of traffic stopped, and the door swung shut. Annabeth felt the thud of it closing from all the way over there. Or maybe that was just a bitter effect of disappointment. She waited a moment more, but no one else appeared.

She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up. She'd been over a thousand different ways this could have played out, but this had always been scenario number one - he wouldn't even be there. She tried to convince herself that this was a good thing, that it just saved her from more embarrassment. The odds had always been statistically slim, anyway. She'd known that.

It didn't make her feel any better though.

Annabeth shut her laptop and tucked it back into her bag. She spared one last glance at the blue door before leaving. She felt cowardly, like she was retreating from something she should have fought for, but she didn't know what else she could do. She wasn't one to put much faith in fates and destiny, but maybe… maybe that one chance encounter really had been her one chance.

"Annabeth! Hey, Annabeth, wait up!"

The call came from behind her. She spun around and her breath caught in her throat.

Because there was Percy, jogging towards her with a stupid troublemaker grin on his handsome face. He had a shirt on, this time. It was white with little blue waves printed across it. He was holding his skateboard, but he didn't have a hat on today. His hair looked fluffier than it had in his ID photo. He stopped right in front of her and she had to remind herself how to breathe.

"It is you," he said, smiling down at her. "I was worried I was yelling out to a stranger, for a second there. But I'm really glad it's you! I was hoping I'd get a chance to see you again."


	3. Chapter 3

**three.**

She had her cupcake poised at her lips when he made her laugh so hard that she blew a cloud of icing sugar off the top. Her other hand immediately flew to cover her mouth, hiding her grin.

"Sorry," she said with some difficulty, forcing the word out around a bite of cupcake and a looming fit of giggles.

Percy dusted the icing sugar off his nose and leant back, grinning that lopsided grin that Annabeth was fast growing to love. "I buy you a cupcake and that's how you repay me? By spitting icing sugar on me?"

"Ew, I didn't spit it on you," she argued, finishing her mouthful and lowering her hand. "You made me laugh, and that's what you get for sitting so close anyway."

He shrugged one shoulder and his grin slipped into a smirk. She couldn't decide which expression she liked best, but she did know that she kind of missed the way he'd been leaning over the table, face hovering right in front of hers. He was slouched back in his seat opposite her now, one arm resting on the back of the chair beside him. His foot knocked hers under the table.

"I wanted to have a good view for when you tried the best cupcakes on campus," he said.

Annabeth glanced down at the blue cupcake and then back up to his eyes. She nodded. "It's pretty good, I'll admit -"

"It's the blue," Percy said adamantly. "Everything tastes better blue."

She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realise _blue_ was a flavour."

"It's not a flavour so much as it is a flavour _enhancer_ ," he explained. "Take something delicious and make it blue? Bam. Instantly even more delicious."

"What if you take something disgusting and make it blue? Does it become even more disgusting?"

Percy looked so affronted that she almost felt bad for asking. "Annabeth. No. No. Blue food is purely good. Always good."

The corner of her lips twitched up of their own accord. He was looking at her so earnestly, and the cupcake really was delicious.

She'd never realised that the little bakery on campus was so good, and when Percy had found out that she'd never eaten there he'd immediately insisted on treating her to a cupcake. She'd tried to pay, but he'd smacked her wallet away and that was that. They'd settled at one of the small tables in the corner of the cramped store, their knees knocking under the table as they sat, and he'd leaned forward to watch her take her first bite.

There was still a bit of icing sugar on the very edge of his nose from when she'd laughed. She went to wipe it off and caught herself at the last second, lowering her hand and grabbing his napkin instead.

"Always good," she repeated as she dusted her hands. "Thank you for that valuable life lesson."

Percy ate his own cupcake in one bite, which was both impressive and horrifying.

"I am _full_ of valuable life lessons, you will learn," he said afterwards.

Butterflies ricocheted around Annabeth's stomach. He'd said it so casually, but that made it sound like he wanted to see her again - it made her think maybe he was having as much fun on this lunch break as she was.

It was her turn to smirk. "Will I?"

Percy seemed to realise what he'd implied. A slight pink tinge rose on his cheeks, and one of his hands flew to his hair, messing up the dark strands. His sea green eyes darted away from her, staring down at his empty cupcake wrapper. "Uh - yeah, I mean, I've got plenty of other blue foods for you to try." He lifted his head and gave her the most adorable sheepish grin imaginable.

She waited a beat before putting him out of his misery. "And you probably know more short cuts across campus, too, right?"

His grin returned full force. "I do."

"They could be pretty useful."

"They are."

Annabeth paused as though considering his offer. She leaned forward, elbows on the table, and looked right at him as she asked, "Are you sure you wanna share your secrets with me, Percy?"

His expression flickered for a moment, almost too fast for her to catch it. She saw a flash of something like surprise, but then his easy grin was back. When he mimicked her pose, leaning forward over the table, his eyes were shining. "I have a feeling I can trust you with them, Annabeth."

* * *

It wasn't planned, exactly, but after that first sort-of date, Annabeth started walking past the Biology building on her way to the food court every day, and Percy started using the numerous walls and rails around the architecture building for skateboard practice, and soon they were seeing each other almost every day.

At first they just had lunch together, but then Annabeth let slip that she went for a run around campus every morning and the next day Percy was there waiting for her outside the dorms. His skateboard was at his side and his smile was wide despite how puffy his eyes were. She was pleasantly surprised, that first morning, but soon it was just a fact of life - the first face Annabeth saw every day was Percy's. They made a good team. She jogged and he skated by her side and pushed her to go faster.

"Catch up!" he called from the corner, where he'd skated off ahead.

"You're on wheels!" she called between breaths, putting on a burst of speed to catch him. "If you were running, I would lap you easily."

He laughed and rocked his board back and forth under one foot. "I doubt that."

"Get off the board then," she dared as she came level.

"When you can skate, I'll run," he said. "How's that for a deal?"

She stopped and put her hands on her hips, trying to control her breathing. The rising sun was casting a golden glow on Percy's features, emphasising the line of his jaw and haloing his dark hair. A bead of sweat glistened as it trailed down the side of his neck. Annabeth swallowed.

"Do I detect a hint of fear from the mighty Percy Jackson?" she teased, trying to keep her voice light.

"Scared? Me? Never!" he planted one foot firmly on the ground and stared right at her. "When you can skate, I'll run."

She lifted her chin, considered a range of witty comebacks, and tossed them all aside. Instead of teasing, she asked, "Will you teach me how to skate?" His eyes widened ever so slightly. She pushed her ponytail off her shoulder and said, "What, scared I'll overtake you that easily?"

"I'm more scared of an out of control Annabeth Chase on wheels," he said, voice and expression totally serious. "Imagine the damage to the city."

"Imagine the damage to you, more like it," Annabeth muttered.

"You'll have to catch me first." Percy pushed off and skated around the bend, waving back at her.

She rolled her eyes and took off running after him, wondering how it was possible to feel so much before sunrise.

It only took a couple of weeks before their interactions spilled off campus. Percy took her on personalised walking tours of the city (well, _she_ walked, _he_ skated), switching between tourist hot spots and local hang outs and pointing out which street vendors could be trusted and which to avoid at all costs. The depth of her obsession with architecture quickly became apparent, so he started making a list of all the "coolest looking" buildings and taking her to see them on their days off.

They went for picnics in Central Park and visited the Disney store in Times Square. Percy made such a big fuss over the plush pegasus from Hercules that Annabeth went back later and bought it for him. When she gave it to him the next day he wouldn't stop gushing about how awesome she was and _whoa what kind of friend buys a pegasus for someone_ _("The best kind, Percy")_ , but the bone crushing hug he pulled her into was more than enough thanks.

He took photos of her in the New York Yankees cap her mom had given her when she'd got her acceptance letter and made a celebratory snapchat proclaiming her a local when she finished a street vendor hot dog in two bites.

"That's all it takes to become a local?" she asked, wiping ketchup off her lips.

"Well, living here helps."

She gave him a wry smile.

He threw his arm over her shoulders and took a selfie of their faces pressed together. She watched him tap out a quick message and beamed when he tilted the screen to show her.

' _Bestie has passed initiation - now official local!_ '

"I'm your bestie?" she asked, voice surprisingly soft.

Percy's smile didn't waver. "Yeah, I mean, that's what you said when you got me Blackjack -"

"His name's Pegasus."

"No, he told me his name is Blackjack."

"You can talk to horses now?"

"I can talk to Blackjack."

"His name is Pegasus. Haven't you seen the movie?"

"Movie's wrong."

"It's wrong about a lot of things, but not about that."

"It is. It's wrong."

"You're wrong."

" _Anyway!_ Yeah. You're my best friend. _One of_ my best friends, Grover would be pretty mad if he heard me kicking him out of top spot, but whatever. You're my friend. If you wanna be, that is."

Annabeth's heart swelled. She felt hyper-aware, suddenly, as Percy's words washed over her like a wave. She saw the freckles on his face, the little crinkles at the corners of his sea green eyes, the tilt of his lips, the curl of his hair against the back of his neck.

She thought she might love him.

The wave crashed down. She grabbed his phone, trying to ignore the spark she felt where their hands touched, and saved the picture before setting it as his story.

"You better send that to me, bestie."

His smile made her stomach flip.

* * *

Annabeth collected Percy's secrets like some people collected those Mythomagic cards that had been all the rage a few years ago. She learnt them and stored them away, saving them for the future.

Some of them were undoubtedly useful: the campus bakery dropped their prices at four thirty every day, trying to get rid of the day's stock; if you cut through the old arts building rather than going round you could shave five minutes off your travel time across campus; by increasing the line margin in the spaces between paragraphs you could sneakily increase your essay page count (Annabeth didn't use that one, but Piper and Rachel found it helpful).

Other secrets were not so useful, but Annabeth found herself saving them anyway, replaying them over when she lay in bed at night: Percy had lived in New York for his entire life and he talked about it as if the entire city was his personal home; he liked blue food so much because his mum used to work at the candy store in Grand Central and she'd always brought him home blue sweets; his dad had left when he was little, and they'd only just gotten back in touch; he had dyslexia but had gotten into one of the top schools in the country anyway, because he was just that clever; he drooled when he slept.

She hadn't meant for it to be two-sided, but she started sharing her secrets with Percy, too.

Late one night, after each struggling with important essays, they found themselves too tired to move from their corner of the library after the work had been submitted. They packed up their stuff but didn't move any further, just sitting in those uncomfortable chairs and asking each other what they wanted to do now. It sounded like they were the last two left, at least on this floor, and as Annabeth listened to Percy debate the merits of a late-night trip to McDonald's something inside her snapped, like a rope pulled too tight.

"I saw my Mom at Grand Central the other day," she said, voice far too tense and nothing like the casual tone she'd been trying for.

Percy's mouth snapped shut. He looked up at her, sea green eyes steady. She hadn't told him all the details, but he knew about her parent's divorce, about her distant mother and distracted father and the step-family that she just wasn't a part of. He knew what it was like to have parents let you down.

"Oh yeah?" he said.

Annabeth nodded. She tried to speak, but the knot from her chest had lodged itself in her throat and she couldn't get the words out.

Percy shifted closer, shuffling right up beside her, and gingerly put an arm over her shoulders. It was only when he brushed a tear from her cheek that she realised she was crying.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he murmured.

She shook her head and said bitterly, "It's not okay. She didn't even recognise me. I tried to call out to her but she - she was on the phone and she just… she didn't even notice me."

Percy made a low sound deep in his throat, sort of like a growl.

"She looked like she was going on a trip. Like maybe this was a layover or something. But the point is she's in the city and she didn't even tell me. She came all this way and she couldn't even catch up for coffee…" Her voice broke.

Percy ran a hand through her hair and made soothing noises as she cried into his shirt. She felt utterly ridiculous, but it was coming up to the end of semester and she had so much work to do and this was just the last thing she'd needed, and Annabeth couldn't always be strong all the time, as much as she tried to be.

When she finally pulled back to wipe her nose on the back of her arm, Percy smiled at her. "You know what you need?"

"What?"

"You need some time away."

"Percy, I can't take time off. It's the busiest part of semester -"

"Okay, party pooper, I didn't mean right now. Soon, though. As soon as the semester's done. You and me are gonna take a trip."

"You and me?" She swallowed.

His arm was still around her shoulders. She felt his fingers twitch against her bicep. "Yeah, and our friends! You can bring Rachel and Piper and that guy she likes, and whoever else, and you can finally meet Hazel, Frank's girlfriend, and I'll convince Grover to come, and it'll be awesome."

She shouldn't be disappointed. This was not disappointing. This was exactly what she needed - time away with her friends.

For now, though, Annabeth was happy with Percy's arm around her. She burrowed closer, resting her face in the crook of his neck, and whispered against his skin, "Awesome."

* * *

 **a.n.** tbh this chapter is probably one of my favourite things i've ever written. please let me know what you think of the story so far? thanks for all the support, and feel free to follow me on tumblr for more trash: i'm bananannabeth


	4. Chapter 4

**four.**

Annabeth heard the sound of skateboard wheels clunking over cement before she saw Percy sailing towards her. He was shirtless again, basking in the early morning sun, and the sight ignited a flame deep in Annabeth's core. She stopped in the doorway of her dorm to watch him, in awe of the way his muscles tensed and flexed as he expertly guided the board along. God, what she wouldn't give to feel those muscles tensing beneath her hands… Or her lips…

When Percy saw her he grinned and waved, kicking the board up and catching it easily. She shook herself out of her daydream and had to restrain herself from running to him. She stepped out of the doorway and waved.

"Hey," he greeted as he strode over, smiling easily.

She smiled back instinctively, joyous at the mere sight of him. What had started as a purely physical attraction had blossomed into one of her dearest and fastest friendships, and even though she couldn't deny how much she wanted to take things to the next level, Annabeth was surprised by how reluctant she was to rush Percy. She valued their unconventional friendship so much that she wasn't quite yet willing to push its fragile boundaries and risk shattering the entire thing.

"Hey," she said.

His hair was all over the place, like he'd only just taken his cap off. Annabeth had to grip the strap of her bag to stop herself from reaching out and ruffling it.

"So, you made it! We made it! Semester's done, we're ready for fun!"

"Did you mean for that to rhyme?"

"Nope, that was just an added bonus. You ready to go?"

Annabeth patted the bag slung over her shoulder. "Good to go. I've triple checked the list, I've loaded the ice box full of snacks and drinks, I've got a first aid kit, I've plugged the address into the GPS and loaded it on Google Maps on both mine and Piper's phones -"

Percy laughed. "Wow. You are ready."

She shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"Someone might think you're actually excited to take a break from studying," he teased, hitting her lightly on the arm.

"Hmm, studying versus being locked in a car with Percy Jackson for two and a half hours?" She pretended to mull it over, half turning back to the door. "You know, actually, I think I might have to give this a miss -"

"Get back here."

He grabbed her elbow and swung her around, pulling her into a bear hug. Her back was pressed against his chest and he had her arms pinned, folded beneath his own. His face was right beside hers, so close that when he laughed she felt it blow across her cheek. A shiver ran down her spine and she prayed that he didn't notice.

"Get off," she said, half heartedly trying to break free.

He held her tight. "Promise me that you're going to have fun on this trip."

She turned her head and stuck her tongue out. Their faces were so close she almost licked the tip of his nose.

He moved his head back but didn't loosen his grip. "Promise it, Annabeth."

"Let me go, Percy." Some of the intended ferociousness was lost in her laughter.

"You're not getting away from me." It was hard to see Percy's face from this angle, but Annabeth heard an undercurrent of seriousness beneath the otherwise light hearted words.

She strained to turn around, wanting desperately to look into his eyes, but he stopped her by dropping his arms to her hips and lifting her feet off the ground. He leant right back, holding her up in the air, and she shrieked and squirmed for freedom.

"Are you having fun?" His mouth was against her ear, so she could both hear and feel his smug smile.

"Yes! Okay, yes, I'm having fun. This trip is going to be fun!"

"Promise?"

"I promise!"

He set her back on her feet, and they fell into a fit of giggles.

"Someone's having a little bit too much fun," Piper said from the doorway. She was staring at them with a smug little smirk, pink lips perfectly coordinated to the feather dangling among her braids.

"Hey Piper. We're just doing some light stretching before the trip," Percy said. He stretched his hands over his head, giving Annabeth a gloriously unobscured view of his torso.

"Light stretching, huh? That's definitely what that sounded like…"

"Piper," Annabeth admonished.

"Annabeth," she mimicked.

Rachel tripped out after her, wearing jeans completely covered in marker drawings and carrying a tattered bag. Her eyes lit up when she saw Percy.

"Hey!" she greeted, smiling brilliantly.

Percy moved forward to give her a high five. Annabeth wanted to take the little bolt of jealousy she felt and bury it six feet underground, but it lingered even after Rachel's hand left Percy's. She hated this feeling. She knew that jealousy wasn't appealing, and she knew that she should be strong enough to resist it, but she couldn't help it with Percy. It wasn't like she thought of him as her property, or anything, but the thought of him sharing inside jokes and late night Finding Nemo sessions and blue cupcakes with anyone else - with Rachel Elizabeth Dare, of all people - made her furious. She clenched her fists at her sides and tried not to glare too obviously.

Obviously she wasn't successful, because when Percy turned around his face dropped in concern. "You okay, Annabeth?"

She smoothed her features and thought of a cover. "Yeah, fine. Just wondering how we're all going to get to Montauk?"

"Oh, I told you I have it covered," Piper said, checking her phone. "He'll be here any second…"

"Who'll be here any second?" Percy asked, squinting as he peered into the distance.

"Our ride."

As soon as she said it, a yellow van roared around the corner. A guy with curly hair and a pointed face sat at the wheel, bouncing around in the seat as he pulled up right in front of them. He wound the window down and beamed out at them.

"Hey hey, Leo and Festus at your service. Festus express to Montauk, departing in fifteen minutes."

Annabeth peered past him to the passenger seat, but couldn't see anyone else in the van.

"Leo, who's Festus?" Piper asked.

Leo patted the door of the van. "Our ride."

"This is our ride?" Rachel asked as she struggled to untangle her sunglasses from her hair.

"Hey, I restored Festus myself. He's the best car in the country." Leo hopped out of the van and shot a self conscious look at Percy's bare chest, which just served to make him look even scrawnier in comparison.

"I'm sure it'll be awesome. Thanks, Leo." Piper pulled him into a hug. When they parted she introduced each of them to the mechanic.

Leo made a show of counting on his fingers. "I thought you had more friends than this, Piper."

"Shut up, they're on their way."

Annabeth turned to Percy. "Where are Frank and Hazel? And Grover?"

"Frank and Hazel should be here any minute," Percy said. "Grover was gonna meet us there with Juniper, but I don't think she can make it so he's coming here now?"

Annabeth punched his chest playfully. "So your friends are organised as you are."

He caught her hand and held it still against his chest. "I'm supplying the accommodation, is that not enough?"

"More than enough," Rachel said, pulling individual red strands out of the join in her glasses.

Percy's hand over hers was all that stopped Annabeth's hands curling into fists again - her anger first directed at Rachel, and then at herself, because that was so irrational and unfair and _she needed to get a grip_.

Thankfully the arrival of the rest of their group provided a welcome distraction.

Jason Grace was first. Piper's entire face lit up when she saw him. She had the biggest crush on him, and Annabeth was sure he felt the same way but was too much of a gentleman to make a move. Proving how small the world was, he was also the little brother of Annabeth's old babysitter Thalia. Neither of them saw a whole lot of Thalia anymore, as she'd gone backpacking with a group of her friends, and they'd never even met when they were younger because Thalia had lived with their mom and Jason with their dad. He was fit and blonde and a bit of a nerd, and Annabeth approved of him and Piper.

Percy's roommate, Frank, showed up next, with his girlfriend Hazel tucked under his muscular arm. Annabeth hadn't had that many opportunities to chat with Frank - whenever she visited Percy's place her focus tended to narrow to how much his room smelt like him, to the way he had a photo of the two of them stuck on the wall right beside his pillow, to how much she'd love to spend the night tangled up with him in his comfortable little bed - but Frank was nice. Percy loved him, and Hazel, and Annabeth trusted Percy's judgement.

Grover was last. He was Percy's oldest friend, and Annabeth genuinely enjoyed spending time with him. He was actually one of the first people she'd met when she'd arrived in the city - she'd gotten off at the wrong subway station and he'd found her standing in the crowd, trying desperately to read a line map through layers of grime. He'd offered to take her back to campus, gotten even more horribly lost, bought her dinner and then finally found their way back. It had been awful at the time, but it made for a great story now. Since he'd started seeing Juniper, Percy and Annabeth had seen less of him, so she was glad to see him here today. Despite the heat he was wearing a beanie, and he stuttered nervous apologies as he ran over to them.

"It's okay, man, you're not late," Percy said, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

He caught his breath. "I'm not? Oh, I mean, yeah, of course I'm on time. I'm always on time."

Percy smiled. "Right. So, is that everyone? Are we good to go?"

Leo might have been driving, but somehow Annabeth became leader of their little expedition. She made sure everyone's bags were loaded in securely, got the snacks out in case they got hungry on the way (which was definitely going to happen, especially with Percy and Grover in the same car), got the aux cable ready for Piper to play some tunes, checked the GPS was properly secured and had signal, and that they had a full tank of gas. Leo designated her as substitute driver should anything happen to him, because she was the only one who took the time to check over Festus before they left.

She was the last one in the car, squeezing onto a bench seat with Grover and Percy. He held her buckle up for her so she could find it easily and when she flashed him a grateful smile he beamed back at her. They sat with their arms pressed together, until about an hour and a half into the trip, when he stretched his arm out over her shoulders and she nestled properly into his side.

Piper flashed her a smile from where she sat next to Jason, their hands entwined on her knee, and Annabeth felt amazingly relaxed already.

Hazel suggested they play one of those road trip games where you pick a theme and take it in turns naming things in alphabetical order. They started with actors, but then Percy and Jason got into a fight over whether Eminem counted as an actor _("He's a rapper! One movie doesn't make him an actor!" "Acting in one movie makes him an actor. That's kind of the definition of being an actor - acting in a movie.")_ so they moved on to eye spy.

Annabeth was winning until she saw a spider crawl out from under Jason's seat and screamed so loud that Leo almost crashed the car. She was practically in Percy's lap, all semblance of dignity long gone, by the time Leo pulled over. They all piled out of the car and Annabeth didn't stop shaking until Percy kicked the dead spider out of the car and trampled it firmly underfoot. She wasn't proud of her reaction, but he didn't say anything to make fun of her - he just told her he'd made sure there weren't any others and that it was safe to get back in.

Apparently her panic attack hadn't caused anyone to think less of Annabeth, because when Festus started shaking and groaning half an hour from Montauk everyone looked to her for direction. She told Leo to pull over and check it out. He wouldn't tell them what the issue was, but assured them it was an easy fix.

"Is it safe to sit in the back while you work on it?" Annabeth leaned over the front seat and asked.

Leo rubbed the back of his neck, his other hand gesticulating wildly. "Ah, it should be. Probably. I think so."

She just looked at him for a beat before turning back around and announcing, "All right everyone, out of the van."

They stood in the long grass on the side of the highway, ignoring the beeps of passing motorists, until Leo appeared covered in oil and told them it was all clear.

By the time they got to Montauk they were running an hour behind schedule and the sun was high in the sky. Everyone whooped with excitement when Percy's cabin finally came into view.

He sprinted a few steps ahead of the group and turned around, arms spread wide and eyes shining. "Welcome to my paradise!"

* * *

The cabin was amazing. It was cosy and rustic and isolated, with beautiful beach front views. Percy had told her a few stories about the time he'd spent there with his mum, and she could see the love in his eyes as he led everyone through the house, pointing out where they'd all be staying.

They'd dumped their bags, devoured the sandwiches Annabeth had made, and promptly ran into the water. Piper had lamented the lack of waves, which had set her and Percy talking about the merits of surfing. They'd only stopped when Annabeth had dumped an armful of seaweed on Percy. He hadn't even bothered taking it off his head before chasing after her, wailing like a sea monster.

"Come and get me, Seaweed Brain!" she'd taunted, splashing away.

He'd moved surprisingly fast through the water and had caught her easily, pushing her under the surface. The seaweed fell off his head and onto her, getting tangled in her hair, and she'd swatted the slimy strands away as she tried to drag him down with her. It took a while, but she managed to grab his shoulders and flip him into the water with her, struggling over on top of him and knocking the seaweed off her head.

He'd broken free and swam underneath her, grabbing her legs and positioning her on his shoulders as he stood. She threw her arms out to keep her balance, hitting Piper, which started an all out war with all nine of them. They'd paired up for shoulder wars, with Leo adjudicating, pushing each other into the waves and laughing hysterically. When the sun had started to set most of them had left the ocean, but Percy had lingered, so Annabeth had to.

Annabeth stood submerged up to her shoulders and stared out at the sunset. Percy was treading water beside her, wet hair standing in spikes and green eyes the same shade as the sea. Behind them, Leo was lighting a fire in a pit Jason had dug in the sand, telling Piper to butt out _("I know how to light a fire, Piper." "You need more newspaper to get it going." "I need you to get out of my way so I can see what I'm doing.")_. Frank and Hazel had gone off for a romantic stroll along the beach. Grover and Rachel were inside cooking enchiladas for dinner. Annabeth had offered to help, but they'd assured her they had it under control. So she'd stayed out in the sea with Percy.

"I always feel so relaxed in the water," Percy said.

Annabeth turned to look at him. She didn't know what to say, with him looking so serious, so she stayed silent. He glanced at her and the corner of his lips lifted in a smile.

"There's something calming about it, don't you think?" he asked.

Annabeth had never really thought all that much about the ocean before meeting Percy. It wasn't that she hadn't liked it - she just hadn't had reason to pay much attention to it. But Percy had pictures of the sea in his room. He smelled like the ocean. He talked to her about trips here with his mum, about how his dad was a fisherman. The ocean was in Percy's blood, it was in his irises, and now Annabeth could look at it all day and continue to find new things she loved about it.

"It's nice," she said, bending her knees and sinking down until the water hit her chin. "It's really nice." She waited a beat, and then said, "Thanks for inviting us out here."

"No problem." Percy lifted his legs so that he was floating on his back. His arm came out sideways and brushed against hers. "It's nice to share this place with you."

Annabeth smiled. She lifted her feet and the waves pushed her over towards Percy. When she bumped into him, he looped his arm around her waist and held her against his side. She looked down at him and imagined how easy it would be to kiss him right then. Her stomach fluttered when he licked his lips, like he was reading her mind. His eyes locked on hers, and he shifted slightly, straightening up without letting go of her. They were floating in the sea, bodies warm amongst the cold water, and Annabeth was knocking down the last of her defenses when -

"Enchiladas!" Grover called from the beach.

Piper shouted something indistinct and Annabeth spun around just in time to see her hand connect with the back of Grover's head. Percy let Annabeth go and the moment was gone.

"Man, I'm starving," he said.

It might have just been the light of the sunset, but his face looked slightly pink.

"Me too," Annabeth said, even though eating was the last thing on her mind.

"Come on." Percy stood up properly, grabbing her hand as he did so.

She let him pull her to her feet and followed him through the shallows up onto the sand, where their friends were all extremely interested in their enchiladas and Grover was looking extremely sheepish.


	5. Chapter 5

**a.n.** thanks for the nice feedback, guys. at the moment there's this chapter and then one more, but i may come back to this story if i get inspired (or if enough people push for it haha).

* * *

 **five.**

"What were you two talking about?" Piper's whisper cut through the sleepy silence of the bedroom, where Annabeth was trying unsuccessfully to get some rest.

Nervous energy charged through her veins, as though being so close to Percy had ignited an energy reserve she didn't know she'd had. She felt restless, fidgety and trapped, but even when she moved around it didn't help. When going for a jog along the sand with Jason after dinner hadn't made her feel any better, she'd decided that nothing was going to help so she might as well try to get some sleep.

She was pressed up beside Piper in the bed, with Rachel spooning her other side. There was a mattress set up for Hazel on the floor, but she'd fallen asleep on top of Frank on the couch while they all watched movies, and she'd looked so adorable that no one had had the heart to wake her.

When the group first split into separate rooms, Annabeth had been able to hear the boys whisper-shouting and scuffling out in the lounge, but now a hush had fallen over the cabin and Piper's voice seemed unnaturally loud - though that may just have been because her mouth was so close to Annabeth's ear. "What did he say to you?"

"What? When?"

Piper sighed, exasperated. Her eyes reflected the moonlight coming in through the window, two bright spots in the shadows. "You and Percy. When you were out in the water. Alone. About to share true love's kiss."

Annabeth giggled, but the mention of it made her heart pang. "Sorry, when was that ever going to happen?"

"Don't lie to me, I saw you two. Everyone saw you two! The way he was looking at you, Annabeth, my god -"

"Don't, Pipes, please. We've been over this." Annabeth's voice sounded strained. "If he was interested, he would have made a move. But he hasn't. So he's not interested, and we're just friends, and I am totally fine with that -"

"You're so obviously not fine with that," Rachel sleepily muttered from her other side.

Annabeth awkwardly flung an arm back to hit her. She kneed the backs of her thighs in retaliation and then rolled over, apparently done with the conversation.

When Annabeth brought her arm back around to her front, Piper grabbed her hand and forced her to roll over so they were lying face to face. She leant forward so that their foreheads were touching and whispered, "Annabeth. Seriously. You should tell him how you feel."

"I have told him how I feel!" Her voice trembled, rising slightly above a whisper. "I spend all my spare time with him, I tell him everything, I bought him a pegasus toy for god's sake… The other night, after my last exam, he picked me up for a pizza and movie night and I fell asleep in his bed. _In his bed_ , Piper! I knew that I was going to wake up with his drool in my hair, and I still slept there anyway! How much more obvious could I be?"

It was hard to be sure in the dark, but Annabeth was pretty certain Piper had one eyebrow raised. "First of all, that's absolutely disgusting. Secondly, have you said, 'Percy, I love you.'?"

Annabeth was glad for the darkness, hoping that it concealed her blush. "What? No! I can't - I don't - He's my friend, I can't -"

"You can't keep going on like this," Rachel said, voice muffled by her pillow. "More importantly, _I_ can't keep going on like this. If I have to put with you two pining for each other much longer I'm going to -"

Annabeth cut her off, sitting bolt upright. "What did you just say?"

"I love you, Annabeth, but I can't do it. I'm going to throw myself or you into the ocean if you keep this up."

"No, no, I don't care about that -"

"Gee, thanks."

"- Before that, you said, 'you two'."

There was a very weighted silence. And then a very muffled, "Oh, shit."

Piper, who had gone still and silent, sat up and gaped at their roommate. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare, what have you done?"

"I haven't done anything!" Rachel tried to burrow down into the blankets, but the other girls grabbed her arms and held her up. When she shrieked and fought to roll out of the bed and make a run for it, Annabeth sat on top of her stomach, pinning her on the mattress.

"What are you hiding?" Annabeth's voice was almost a yell now, but she was too agitated to care.

"I ran into Percy last week in the library, okay? No big deal!" Rachel admitted in a tone that very much implied it was a big deal.

"What?!" Piper and Annabeth exclaimed in unison.

She heard some muffled voices in the lounge and prayed that they wouldn't come barging in to see what was going on. Annabeth didn't know how she'd be able to explain away the fact that she was straddling one of her roommates while the other shouted things about sister codes and broken trust.

When they settled down, Piper asked, "Why did you not tell us?"

Rachel glared up at them defiantly, but she'd stopped trying to buck Annabeth off her. "Because Percy asked me not to."

"That's no excuse!" Piper said, obviously scandalized.

"I wasn't going to break a promise -"

"You break promises all the time, you promised me the last piece of brownie on Tuesday and then you ate it!"

"It was finals and I was stressed, I needed it more!"

"We were all stressed about finals, Rachel, that is a poor and unfair excuse to eat the last bit of brownie -"

"Back on topic!" Annabeth said, voice firm. Her roommates fell silent. "What did he say?"

"I'm not going to tell you exactly what he said, Annabeth. Partly because I said I wouldn't and partly because it's sickening." In the dark Rachel's skin looked even more pale than usual, especially compared to Annabeth's and Piper's. The moonlight almost made her look like she was glowing, green eyes shining brightly. "But… he likes you, okay. It's pretty damn obvious."

"Pretty damn obvious? It is _not_ pretty damn obvious."

"It kind of is," Piper chimed in.

Annabeth rounded on her, but she didn't shrink back. "What's obvious is that if he liked me as anything more than a friend he would have asked me out or kissed me or done _something_ by now, all right? _That_ is pretty damn obvious."

"For god's sake, stop moping and go talk to the boy," Rachel said. "He likes you. He really does. You were all he talked about when I bumped into him. 'Annabeth's been studying really hard, I hope she isn't tiring herself out. Annabeth bought a box of blue donuts to our last study session even though you're not meant to eat in the library, because she's just the best ever. I don't know how Annabeth gets up so early and doesn't need an afternoon nap, and how does she look so put together in the mornings anyway? I really hope Annabeth likes Montauk, I don't know what I'm going to do if she doesn't. Annabeth, Annabeth, Annabeth.'"

Annabeth felt as if all of the energy that had been thrumming through her veins was now buzzing around her brain. She tried to focus on what Rachel was saying, but found that she could only grasp bits and pieces, because mainly all she could hear was Percy's voice saying her name, over and over.

She slid off Rachel's stomach and rolled back into Piper, who immediately draped her arms over her shoulders. She leant back into the reassuring embrace, and Piper rested her chin on the crown of her head. Annabeth's heart felt like it was trying to break out of her ribcage. She had the sudden, overwhelming urge to run - towards Percy, away from Percy, she didn't know. But she forced herself to stay exactly where she was, nestled between her friends.

Annabeth's voice was small when she asked, "He said all that?"

Rachel sat up and tugged down the hem of her t-shirt. "I'm paraphrasing, but yeah. Essentially."

"He loves you, too," Piper cooed from above her.

"Shut up," Annabeth muttered, clamping a hand over her mouth.

"Oh, now you care about noise levels." Rachel rolled her eyes.

Her words made Annabeth aware of the deadly silence in the lounge. Hadn't she just heard them talking? If they were silent, that meant they were listening. Her stomach dropped. What if Percy had heard everything they'd said? What if he knew how she felt, and Rachel had gotten it all wrong and he didn't feel the same way? What if Annabeth had just ruined their entire friendship?

She suddenly felt as though all the sea water she'd swallowed that day was coming back up. She lurched forward, but Piper held her back.

"Leave it to me," she whispered.

She disentangled herself from Annabeth and crawled over Rachel's legs off the bed. She crept over to the door, took a deep breath and ripped it open. No one was standing right outside, but as soon as she turned her head she made a triumphant noise and pointed accusingly down the hall.

"You lot! Were you eavesdropping?"

Annabeth heard a quiet, "No, we were just -" before Leo said clearly, "It's not eavesdropping if the conversation you're listening to is being yelled."

Annabeth swayed, feeling ill. Oh, god, she didn't know what she was going to do if she heard Percy's voice. She waited for it, dread pooling in her stomach, hands clenched into fists, mind racing with the hundreds of ways she could apologise and the hundreds of ways Percy could not forgive her.

Instead, Jason spoke. "We weren't eavesdropping, Pipes. We heard some yelling, and we were a little concerned. That's all."

"What did you hear?"

"Nothing," Frank and Hazel said in unison.

Piper tried again. "Tell me what you heard."

Leo broke immediately. "Percy's obsessed with Annabeth? Like, stalker-level obsessed, it's probably not healthy -"

"What would you know about a healthy relationship?" Frank murmured, just loud enough for Annabeth to catch.

Leo made an offended gasp. "How dare you?!"

"Guys!" Hazel hissed. "Be quiet, or you'll wake him up!"

Wait - he was still asleep? Annabeth strained to hear any sign of Percy from the other room, but all she got was a faint snoring, only audible now that the rest of the group had fallen silent. Relief washed over her, because while she had been yelling about him like a madwoman Percy had been peacefully sleeping, no doubt drooling on his pillow.

Rachel patted her knee and smiled reassuringly before flopping back onto the bed and calling out, "Speaking of, can we all go to sleep now?"

"We're not the ones who were screaming," Grover said. Annabeth was pretty sure he'd meant for it to sound patronising, but he just sounded uncomfortable. If anyone had an idea of Percy's true feelings, it would be Grover, so hearing the slight tremor in his voice made her nervous.

Leo said, "It sounded like a pillow fight. If there's a pillow fight happening in there I want in, it's totally not fair if you don't invite us -"

"Sleep sounds good," Jason said, and Annabeth could imagine the look he was giving Leo now - fond disapproval, like, 'you know I love you, but you need to stop that immediately'. "I think we're all a little tired and cranky."

" _Cranky_ ," Leo repeated, laughing. "Who says cranky?"

"I do," Hazel said quietly.

"Yeah, but you're cute." Oh, Frank would be happy with Leo saying that, no doubt.

Jason said, "Are you saying I'm not cute?"

In the doorway, Piper said, "You're _very_ cute." She seemed to realise her mistake as soon as the words were out, and hurriedly yawned, which set everyone off. "Yep, time for bed. Good night everyone, sleep tight."

She ran back into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Even in the dark Annabeth could see her mortified expression.

Rachel sighed. "You two are absolutely hopeless."

* * *

When Annabeth woke up from her fitful sleep, she had Piper's legs entwined with hers and Rachel pressed right up against her side. The dim blue light of predawn was shining through the window, casting a soft glow over her friend's beautiful, relaxed faces. Trying her best not to disturb them, she carefully picked Piper's arm up from where it was draped across her stomach and moved it back onto the mattress. She slowly sat up and did some parkour type stretching to get out of the bed without stepping on either of them.

Her stealthiness had to continue in the lounge, where the rest of the group were sprawled out on air mattresses and in sleeping bags. Hazel's hair was visible over the back of the couch, from where she'd fallen asleep with Frank. Annabeth felt a pang of jealousy and immediately looked to Percy. He was still fast asleep, mouth open and dark hair an absolute mess. She wanted to go over there and snuggle down into his sleeping bag with him, wake him up with a kiss and laugh about the disaster that had been the previous day. He would know exactly what to say to make her feel better. He always did.

Instead, she forced herself to turn away and tiptoe out the door and into the brisk morning air. She did some of the quickest stretching of her life before taking off running, concentrating on the sand giving way beneath her bare feet and trying to imagine her feelings for Percy being washed away with the tide.

She'd gone to sleep with Rachel's words ringing in her ears, but they didn't bring her any comfort. So Percy talked about her a lot, so what? Piper talked about her a lot, did that mean _she_ was in love with her? Okay, that was flawed logic and Annabeth knew it.

She pushed herself to run faster, craving the ache in her legs and the sting of her throat that came from a really good sprint. Maybe if she ran fast enough and far enough, she'd be so exhausted that she wouldn't be able to get excited every time Percy's hand brushed hers, every time he sat next to her, every time he so much as looked at her.

For the first time in her life, Annabeth truly understood the meaning of the term heart sick. She felt like she had the flu - her head was foggy, she felt achy and jittery, unable to get comfortable, as though her own body was rejecting her. Traitor.

She sprinted two hundred yards before giving in and collapsing on the sand, lying on her back and gazing up at the lightening sky.

She wasn't even that tired, physically, but she couldn't concentrate on running. That was normally something running was really good for, pushing everything else out of her mind, but this time it wasn't helping. She couldn't find her rhythm without the familiar sound of Percy's skateboard rolling along beside her.

She realised with a start that this stupid boy was now so ingrained in every aspect of her life that she would probably not be able to function without him, for quite a while at least.

If she told him how she felt and he rejected her, and their friendship ended, Annabeth didn't know what she'd do with herself. She'd probably have to transfer, because everything on campus - _everything_ \- reminded her of Percy. And she'd never be able to go to a beach again.

But a part of her agreed with Rachel: as terrifying as it was, she didn't know how much longer she could go on like this, either. She could feel herself tensing every time she got anywhere near Percy, coiling tighter and tighter with every missed opportunity for revelation and affection. She wasn't good at hiding her emotions from him, so she'd overcompensate in the opposite direction to make up for how much she adored him. She could just imagine it - in some misguided attempt at self preservation, she'd get snappy, and then he'd get mad at her, and then they'd have a fight and end up not talking at all, and she would still end up hurt.

So what was her only option then? Tell him how she felt and pray that, by some divine miracle, he felt the same way?

She was doomed. She might as well just lay here forever and wait for the tide to sweep her out to sea.

The sky shifted colours, from light blue to purple, then to pink. It was just about to start transitioning to orange when Annabeth heard footsteps running towards her. She lay perfectly still, hoping that it was a stranger who would run right on by and pay her no attention. The footsteps started to slow down as they approached, though, and soon she could hear the runner's laboured breathing.

"Holy shit, Annabeth, is this further than you normally run? It feels like it's further than you normally run."

She sat up and stared at Percy, standing there in jeans and a bright orange t-shirt with a snapback squashed over his bed hair.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "Did you run all this way in jeans?"

He looked down at his pants and then back to her. "Yeah, I… uh… Yeah. I got dressed in a hurry, I really wanted to catch you. So I just grabbed whatever was on top in my bag."

God, he was the most ridiculous person she'd ever met. She loved him so much.

She patted the sand, and he dropped bonelessly to join her, letting out a huge sigh. He grabbed the hem of his shirt as though he was going to take it off, but then he glanced at her sideways and let the material go. She got a sour taste in her mouth and tried not to panic. They sat in silence, watching the sunrise.

"What are you doing here?" he asked eventually.

"I went for my morning run, like usual."

"You didn't wait for me." His tone was light, but she could see from his expression that he was genuinely upset.

"I never wait for you." It came out harsher than she'd intended, probably because it was a ridiculously huge lie.

All Annabeth ever did was wait for Percy - she waited for him to skate by her in the mornings, she waited for him outside the Biology building at lunch, she waited for him to finish reading before scrolling down the page when they shared a laptop, she waited for him to lead the way around New York City, she waited for him to fall asleep first on their movie nights so she could cuddle up to him without being embarrassed. She was waiting right now for him to tell her how he felt.

He traced a pattern in the sand between their legs. A trident, like the tattoo on his arm. She stared at it, finding it easier to talk to the drawing than to him. "You can't skateboard on sand, I didn't think you'd want to come."

"You wanted me to run," he said.

She risked a quick glance up and saw that he, too, was staring down at the sand. "What?"

"When we first started going together in the mornings, you used to say how easily you'd lap me if I was running."

His tone suggested he thought she'd forgotten that particular exchange. As if she didn't have every one of their conversations memorised, as if she hadn't replayed that exact scene over and over in her mind for weeks after it had occurred, as if she wasn't still waiting for him to teach her how to skate because she wanted to be as ingrained in every aspect of his life as he was in hers.

"And you used to say that when I learned to skate, you'd run. And I still don't know how to skate, so why did you come running?"

He looked up at her for the briefest of moments before turning to look out to sea. "For you. Duh."

Annabeth tried to regulate her breathing. She focused on the ocean breeze, on the freshness of the air. She tried to ignore how Percy's eyes were the exact same shade as the sea they were sitting in front of.

"What?" Wow, she was articulate today.

He laughed. "You do know that's the reason I get up at five every day, right? It's not to skateboard. Skateboarding is just as good, probably even better, when done later in the day. I wouldn't get up at five for anything less than you, Annabeth."

"Less than - less than me?" The nervous energy that had been thrumming through her since their almost-kiss the day before was no longer an undercurrent. It had returned full force, making her heart race and her pulse flutter.

Percy still didn't look at her. "Yeah. I mean, you're my bestie. And isn't that what besties do for each other?"

"What, ruin any prospects of a sleep in?" She tried for humour because she didn't trust herself to give a genuine response to that without tearing up. She was openly staring at him now, but he still didn't turn.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm getting at, Annabeth. You're so wise. I love you because you've forced me into a regular sleeping cycle."

Annabeth's heart seemed to stop and then start up again at twice its normal rate.

He loved her.

She didn't know what to do with that information. She didn't know what to do with the fact that he'd followed her all the way down the beach in jeans. She didn't know why he wouldn't look at her. God, she wanted him to look at her.

Before she could even comprehend what she was doing, Annabeth blurted out, "I stalked you."

That got him to look at her. His eyes were wide and he appeared to be caught between humoured and horrified. "What?"

"After we met, the first time, when you - when you saved me from being hit by the car. Rachel looked you up and we found your timetable, and I deliberately went and waited outside the Biology building hoping that I'd see you again. I was so embarrassed about how I'd acted the day before, I wanted to make a better second impression and I- I'm sorry, I know that's so weird, but I really liked you, Percy, from the first time I met you, and I didn't want that one chance encounter to be all the time I got with you."

Percy was silent for a long time, and Annabeth started to think that she'd already ruined their friendship before she even got around to confessing that she was madly in love with him.

But then he said, "I was on my way to the architecture building when I noticed you."

She forced herself to meet his gaze. "You were?"

"Yeah. I didn't have your timetable, I didn't even know if you had class that day, but I was totally prepared to sleep on those steps until I saw you again."

Percy smiled shyly, not the usual troublemaker grin she was used to, and she knew without a doubt that he was being honest. He wasn't saying it to be funny, or to make her feel better. He was saying it because it was the truth.

He cleared his throat and lifted up his hat, running his fingers through his hair before lowering it again. "And, uh, while we're confessing stuff. I might have heard a bit of the conversation last night."

Her stomach turned to lead. "You did?"

"Not… Not all of it. Just… bits."

She tried not to sound too threatening when she asked, "Which bits?"

He lifted his snapback all the way off and turned it around, so that he was wearing it backwards. Without the shade of the brim she could see a faint patch of red rising just above the collar of his shirt. "Uh, mainly the bit where I found out my obsession with you isn't as secret as I thought it was. Which probably makes me look like a creep. But, hey, that's all right because you just admitted you stalked me, right, so it can't be that creepy! Or maybe we're both just really creepy…"

"Stop saying creepy, Percy."

"Sorry. Is it creeping you out?"

"You're such a loser."

"That's why you love me." It was a throwaway line, something he'd said to her more than a dozen times before when he'd done something embarrassing and she'd called him out on it. This time was different though; his voice had the same undercurrent of seriousness she'd heard when they'd been play fighting outside her apartment before they left for Montauk.

She angled her shoulders towards him, and he followed suite. Their hands met over the trident he'd drawn in the sand. Every nerve in her body hummed with anticipation until she was sure she was physically trembling. The wave she'd felt wash over her when he'd called her his best friend for the first time seemed to be rising again, but this time it was building up from her toes. A steady pressure, anchoring her to this exact spot on this Montauk beach, beside this stupid boy with the tousled hair and sea green eyes and handsome face that was so close to hers.

Annabeth made a split second decision, acting entirely on instinct, which was so out of character she would look back on it later and be amazed that she'd had the nerve. She leaned forward, bridging the small gap between Percy and herself, and kissed him.

The wave broke. For the briefest of moments, Annabeth felt as though she were floating, like the anchor she'd been dragging around for the last few weeks had finally been cut free. And then Percy's lips moved against hers and his hand cupped her face and she came crashing back into her body with a rush of sensations unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. She could feel the callouses on his fingers, the slight stubble along his jaw, the soft pressure of his lips on hers. She could hear his breathing, perfectly in time with the waves rolling in. She could taste him, sweat and salt and sweeter than anything she'd ever imagined.

When he pulled back, she was seized by a panic stronger almost than the joy she'd felt mere seconds ago, because she couldn't lose him, she just couldn't. Especially not after that. She reached up to grab his wrist, trying to hold him still. His hand didn't leave her face. His thumb pushed back the few curls that had escaped her ponytail, rubbing soft circles on her temple, and Annabeth's fear melted away. Percy wasn't going anywhere. They were so close that she could count the freckles splashed across his cheeks, see every detail in his irises, still feel his breath on her lips.

"Percy," she said, soft and sincere.

He smiled, and her butterflies returned.

"Annabeth," he breathed.

"As much as it pains me to say you're right, you are. I do love you," she said, voice growing stronger with each word. "I'm in love with you, Percy."

She hadn't thought it was possible, but his grin got even brighter. The joy was so evident on his face that she laughed, because it was absolutely ridiculous to think that anyone, let alone Percy Jackson, would ever be grinning like that because of her.

"I'm in love with you, too," he said, sounding like he was pouring his heart into every syllable. From the look on his face, Annabeth thought he probably was.

He kissed her again, a little more insistently this time, and she melted into him. This time it was Annabeth who pulled back first, flushed and slightly breathless.

"Two things," she said, trying to look him in the eye and ignore the way he was licking his lips.

"Two things," he mimicked, unabashedly staring at her with hunger in his eyes.

"You have to teach me how to skateboard."

"Done." He went to kiss her again, but she turned her head at the last second so that he caught her on the cheek instead. Undeterred, he kissed a trail down her neck and along her collarbone.

"And -" She faltered, tilting her head back as he kissed the hollow of her throat. "And -"

"And?" She felt his smug laughter reverberate along her skin.

"And why is this the one time you've decided to wear a shirt? Seriously, Percy, your timing is terrible -"

He silenced her with a kiss, deeper than the others, breaking apart just long enough to pull the orange fabric over his head before diving back to her. Annabeth splayed her palms over his bare chest and felt his heartbeat beneath her hand, and as Percy kissed her again she decided that leaving that architecture essay to the last minute was the smartest thing she'd ever done.


	6. Chapter 6

**a.n.** thanks for the nice feedback, guys. every nice comment makes me smile and i really appreciate you taking the time to read and review :) this is more of a bonus chapter, really. it's pure fluff.

* * *

 **six.**

Percy's hands were warm and steady on her waist, holding her relatively still despite how shaky her legs felt. Her spine was rigid, her arms flung out to the sides. Her brows were furrowed and she was pretty sure her tongue was poking out the corner of her mouth - Annabeth's classic concentration face. This wasn't coming naturally to her, but Annabeth refused to give up. If Percy could do it, so could she.

"Are you good?" he asked, mouth right by her ear.

She didn't turn her head to reply, scared that the slightest movement would throw her off balance. "Fine."

His laugh moved the curls by her ear and his hands squeezed a little tighter around her waist, verging on ticklish. "You sure? You seem kind of tense… Maybe a little frazzled?"

" _Frazzled_? Cute throwback, Percy, but I am far from frazzled." She hoped he caught her glare, even though it was directed at the board she was balanced on and not at him.

His hold on her loosened and she panicked, tipping to the side almost immediately. She yelped, over corrected, started to fall to the other side and clutched at his arms in an attempt to stay upright.

He was laughing, but he caught her easily and helped her centre herself on the board again. While she'd been flailing around he'd casually stopped his skateboard with one foot, and she envied how easy he made this look. When Percy skated, it was like the board was an extension of himself. When Annabeth skated, it was like putting rollerskates on a giraffe - entirely inelegant. She wasn't used to feeling so uncoordinated.

"Not frazzled, you say?" he teased, sea green eyes sparkling with amusement.

He'd moved from behind her to beside her now, so she could throw him a proper glare.

"Try a trick like that again and you'll be the one who's frazzled," she ground out.

His smile softened around the edges, and she felt him flex his fingers just above her hipbones. "You're overthinking it," he said. "Try to _feel_ the movement of the board."

"I _am_ ," she said, annoyed by how close her voice was to a whine.

"Try again," Percy said calmly. "And it took me ages to get the hang of it, you know. You should be proud you haven't stacked it yet."

"Yet," she noted, wobbling slightly as he pushed her forward.

"Yeah, it'll probably happen. But I'll catch you, don't worry."

His words made her smile. Since that morning on the Montauk beach, Annabeth felt like she hadn't stopped smiling.

None of their friends had been surprised when they'd wandered back into the cabin holding hands and with sand in their hair. Piper had enveloped them both in a bear hug and wouldn't stop saying how happy she was and how she'd known they'd get together all along. She'd kept going until Jason gently pulled her away and distracted her by asking her to teach him how to surf. Rachel had just smiled knowingly and given them both a high-five.

Grover's reaction had been the most surprising. He'd kept his cool until the three of them were alone on their last night at the cabin, sitting around the dying embers of the fire and reminiscing about the trouble they'd gotten into at the start of semester. He'd congratulated them, voice cracking, and his eyes had started to water.

"Uh, are you okay?" Percy had asked, slowly moving his arm from around Annabeth's shoulders and reaching out to him.

"Fine," Grover sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "Just… really happy for you guys."

"Hey, you get to see Juniper tomorrow, right?" Annabeth said brightly.

Percy flashed her a grateful smile. "Yeah! Hey, we should hang out more, the four of us."

Grover smiled at them. "You guys are the best. I should go call her, actually, check what time we're meeting up tomorrow."

He'd left them by the fire, and Annabeth had knocked her knee gently against Percy's. "What was that about?"

He shrugged. "No idea. Just… Grover being emotional, I guess."

She hadn't said anything, but Annabeth wondered if he was worried about his and Percy's friendship. Everyone always said that friendships changed when you got a new partner, but Percy and Grover were so close she couldn't see them being affected. Besides, she'd been monopolising Percy's time for months now and the boy's friendship hadn't suffered.

And it wasn't like the fact that were now 'officially dating' meant that the dynamics of Percy and Annabeth's relationship were suddenly going to change. They were still the same people.

As always, Annabeth was right. Their friendship hadn't changed a whole lot, really. If possible, they'd become even more inseparable, but they'd gotten most of the intimate, emotional stuff out of the way already, so it wasn't like a massive shift occurred.

She still called him out when he was being an idiot, and he still forced her to take study breaks and challenged her to stupid competitions like, ' _I can catch more jelly beans in my mouth than you can, here throw these at me and I'll show you - no, Annabeth, ew, not the black ones, throw me a blue one_ '. (She threw the black one right at his forehead, but when she did throw the blue one he did indeed catch it in his mouth).

To be fair, there was definitely a lot more making out. Rather than wiping cupcake crumbs from his mouth she could now kiss them away, and rather than greeting him in the morning with a comment about how he drooled in his sleep, she got to kiss him and _then_ tease him about his drooling. She no longer waited for him to fall asleep on movie nights before cuddling up to him, and his habit of skating shirtless stopped being a form of divine torture and instead became a twisted, very enjoyable version of foreplay.

Speaking of, the feeling of Percy's fingers brushing against her bare skin brought Annabeth's focus sharply back to the present. His slid one of his hands around to the small of her back, grazing the small gap between the hem of her t-shirt and the waist of her shorts, and pushed her forward. She rolled more than an arm's length away, his other hand fell from her waist, and she was on her own. She tottered uncertainly on the board, so uncomfortable without his support that it took her a second to realise that she was doing it - she was skating!

She glided forward, bending her knees slightly to lower her centre of gravity, and she heard Percy whoop excitedly behind her.

"Go Annabeth!" he shouted as she rolled on.

She was going at a snail's pace, but whatever. She was keeping herself upright on the board, and she was moving. It was a start.

"I'm skating! Percy, I'm actually skateboarding!"

He laughed and jogged after her. "Yeah you are!"

She picked up a little bit of speed as the ground started to slope slightly downwards, but she was too elated to be scared. She was getting a bit of a rush from it, actually. It was a great feeling, knowing that Percy was sharing something like this with her. It was such a big part of his personality, and she was grateful to have another thing they could bond over.

Until the board hit a bump at the bottom of the slope and she pitched forward dangerously, arms pinwheeling in a vain attempt to keep her from face planting.

"Percy!"

Before she could hit the ground he was there, strong arms catching her torso and holding her up. The board slipped out from beneath her, shooting back up the slope a few feet before rolling back down and hitting her right in the achilles tendon. She cursed and kicked it aside, using Percy's arms as leverage to haul herself up to a standing position.

"You okay?" he asked, obvious concern splayed across his features.

He didn't let go of her, merely shifting his grip to her biceps. He looked her over, checking for non existent injuries, while she scowled and thought about how dumb it was that she could run for miles but couldn't balance on a stupid plank of wood with wheels for more than five minutes.

"Fine," she muttered, shrugging him off. "I'm fine. Let's go again."

"Again? Are you sure?"

She met his gaze, and any further protests he might have had died on his lips. It was obvious from the set of her jaw and the look in her grey eyes that she wasn't going to let this go. Once she'd set herself a challenge, Annabeth Chase did not give up. Annabeth Chase refused to be beaten by a plank of wood.

Percy pushed his snapback up off his forehead and took a deep breath. "All right. Let's try again."

It took the better part of an hour, but eventually Annabeth was gliding unaided across the mostly-empty dorm parking lot. Figuring that she'd lost most of her dignity about half an hour ago, when she'd fallen backwards off the board and straight onto her ass, she shouted with joy when she made it to the bottom of the slope without toppling. She half-ran off the board, momentum keeping her feet going, and it took her a few steps before she was balanced enough to turn around. She stopped the board with one foot before triumphantly lifting it over her head and doing a happy dance.

"I have conquered the skateboard!" she yelled.

Percy ran over to her, beaming. "Annabeth, that was -"

"The coolest thing you've ever seen? Damn straight," she said teasingly, lowering the board. She held it by the wheel bracket with one hand, letting it hang by her side like she'd seen Percy do so many times before.

His eyes flicked from her face to the board and back again. "It was hot," he said, already leaning in to kiss her.

She met him halfway, taking a small step forward so that her feet were in between his. She lifted her spare hand to his chest, bunching up the material of his flannel shirt and pulling him down so she could kiss him harder. His hands started in her hair, as they always did. He ran his fingers through the silky strands and down her back, gliding down either side of her spine before finally settling on her hips. He tugged her forward until they were pressed flush together, until they were kissing in a way that was entirely inappropriate for a public space.

When they parted she felt a bit lightheaded. Euphoric, even.

He was looking at her like she'd handed him the moon.

She reached up and swiped the snapback off his head, putting it on over her ponytail and darting back. She struck a pose: one leg bent at the knee, board resting against her shin, opposite hand on her hip, head rolled slightly to the side. "How do I look?"

"You look… incredibly hot."

She scoffed, tilting her chin up to look at him without the brim of the slightly-too-big hat in the way. "Is that all you've got?"

"I can't find the words." He gestured to her, waving his arms up and down and shaking his head in disbelief. "Annabeth Chase, my girlfriend, official skater girl."

His words sent a little thrill up her spine. "First official New Yorker, now official skater girl. Percy Jackson, what are you doing to me?"

He shrugged with false modesty, one hand ruffling up his hair.

"Does this mean I get to come to the skate park with you now?" She dropped the pose and let the board fall to the ground with a clatter.

He frowned. "You already come to the skate park with me."

"Yeah, but now I can skate with you. Like a real skater. Skating. For reals." God, she'd been spending way too much time with him. Six months ago Annabeth would never have said something like that, but now it came to her naturally. Just another little piece of Percy that she'd taken for herself.

He grinned easily and sauntered towards her, one hand in the pocket of his jeans. "Do you think you're ready for that, official skater girl?"

She planted one foot on the board and pushed off, skating shakily around him. She almost lost it when she had to swerve slightly to avoid hitting him, but she managed to maintain control, which was a massive boost for her ego.

"Yeah I'm ready for it, Seaweed Brain. Are _you_ ready for it?"

"Oh, she spends ten minutes on a board and suddenly she's a pro?" He watched her skate away slowly, grinning.

"Hey, you were proud of me two seconds ago!"

"I'm still proud of you, Wise Girl!" That was obvious from the tenderness in his gaze, the softness of his smile. She'd already known it, but it was still nice to hear.

She deepened her voice to a poor imitation of his and said, "Hi, I'm Percy Jackson and I'm the skateboarding king. No one can skate as good as me. Watch me do some sick tricks."

His laughter followed her as she propelled herself into a clumsy turn. She barely managed to stay on the board, but she did it. She sailed back towards him with a goofy grin, arms raised triumphantly. He stepped aside as she skated up beside him, rolling slowly to a stop and stumbling off the board. She kicked it up, sending it flying sideways. Okay, so that hadn't been quite as cool as she'd been hoping. She flashed him a sheepish smile before running after the board, scooping it off the ground and holding it out to him.

"Well, I've shown you all of my sick moves. Your turn now."

"How am I meant to follow that?" he said with a smirk. He took the board from her.

She tossed her ponytail over her shoulder imperiously. "You might be able to come up with something. Maybe."

He narrowed his eyes at her, taking the bait easily, and skated off effortlessly. "Yeah, I think I can come up with something."

She stood with her arms folded over her chest and watched him as he did laps around her, kicking the board up and jumping over the gutters easily. He did what she was pretty sure was an ollie, and then something called a noseslide along the gutter, where the front of the board ground along the pavement. He flipped the board under his feet mid-turn and rolled back towards her smirking.

"What'd ya think?"

She shrugged one shoulder, pretending to be unimpressed. "Hm. It was all right."

He mocked offence, splaying a hand over his heart. "Just all right?"

She broke immediately. "No, that was amazing!"

She launched herself at him with so much force she almost knocked him over. He held her tightly as he scrambled for balance, the sudden impact of her hug sending the board flying out from beneath his feet. Somehow they managed to stay standing, and he kissed her deeply.

He didn't even move his lips from hers when he tugged the snapback off her head and put it back on. Her eyes shot open and she wrenched back to yell at him, but he was already reclaiming his board and skating away.

"Percy! Give me back the hat!"

"It's my hat," he called in sing song as she chased after him.

"It looks better on me."

His offended gasp, coupled with his outraged expression as he skated by her sideways, made her crack up laughing. She had to stop running because she was laughing too hard to breathe properly.

"That's mean, Annabeth. You're being so mean to me today."

"I'm sorry," she said genuinely, straightening up and watching him. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Well, they're hurt," he said petulantly from the other end of the parking lot.

"What can I do to make it up to you?"

He skated in a lazy circle, pretending to mull it over. "Maybe a kiss better."

"You want me to kiss your feelings better?" She raised an eyebrow, wondering how she'd ended up with someone so immature, and when immature had become a thing that she loved.

"Yeah. It'd probably help."

She crossed her arms. "I'm not convinced."

"Here, I'll show you my latest trick. Then you'll be so impressed that you won't be able to resist kissing me."

"Oh, how exciting," she said, totally deadpan. "Go on then, show me this amazing trick."

He grinned at her, full of confidence and bravado, and took off at a remarkable speed. She watched him zoom by, watched the front wheels of his board lift off the ground, then the back. She watched him do a half-turn, but then, in the millisecond that it took her to blink, something went wrong. He lost control of the board. He managed to tuck his arms in and turn what was going to be a face plant into a roll at the last second, but he still landed hard on the pavement. There was a sickening crunch, and he groaned. He rolled onto his stomach and lay still, which was honestly more worrying than the groaning.

"Percy!" Annabeth ran to him, dropping to her knees and crouching beside him. "Percy, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm totally fine. I landed on this nice soft bitumen," he muttered.

If his sarcasm was still intact he couldn't be too badly hurt. She gingerly brushed his hat up and pushed his hair out of his eyes, checking for any head injuries. His face looked a little red, but she thought that might be from embarrassment more than anything.

"What hurts most? Did you hit your head?" she asked.

"No, my head's fine. I'm totally fine." He started to sit up, groaned and lay back down.

"Percy…"

"All right, my elbow hurts a bit."

His arms were cradled beneath his chest, but she could see shredded fabric hanging from his left sleeve. She leaned forward, tilting her head down to see a splash of red covering the exposed skin of his elbow.

"Can you move it?"

Rather than attempting to sit up, he just shifted slightly on the ground and held his arm out to her. His left side was covered in dirt and the gash on his elbow looked pretty gruesome, but it wasn't deep. He straightened and flexed his arm without too much complaint, so she was pretty sure he hadn't dislocated or broken it. She gently rested it against his side and flattened herself out, lying beside him on the bitumen. She tried to ignore the little stones she could feel digging into her legs and arms.

"Hey."

He blinked at her. "Why are you lying on the ground?"

"Because you're lying on the ground. And I have something to tell you."

Percy arched an eyebrow at her, intrigued.

Annabeth shuffled a little closer, until she was pressed right up against him, and put her lips right by his ear. "You're going to be fine, you big baby," she said at normal volume.

He flinched away. "I am not a baby!"

She used her folded arms as a pillow and smiled across at him. "And that was a pretty sick trick."

He grinned instantly. He kissed the tip of her nose before sitting up stiffly. He dusted down his shirt and slowly got to his feet before helping her up. He twisted his arm, trying to look at the wound on his elbow, while she retrieved his skateboard from the other end of the parking lot. By the time she got back he was all confidence and swagger.

"See, skateboarding's a dangerous sport," he told her as he draped his uninjured arm over her shoulders. "I risk my life everytime I get on the board."

"Oh, I have an entirely new appreciation for it," she said honestly. She started leading him slowly towards her apartment. "Now come on, we need to wash your elbow. There's a first aid kit in my room."

"Why do you have a first aid kit in your room?"

"It never hurts to be prepared, Percy."

" _Hurts_ to be prepared, haha, good first aid pun."

She grunted and shifted his arm a little higher on her shoulders. She hadn't even meant that, but she really was starting to sound way too much like Percy.

He was silent long enough for her to get worried. She glanced up at him and saw that he was smiling down at her, soft and content. Her own expression mimicked his instinctively, like his happiness was all she needed to be happy herself.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just… You're pretty amazing, Annabeth," he said softly.

A comfortable warmth filled every fibre of her being. She swung the board at her side and ducked her head, smiling. "Yeah, I know. You're not too bad yourself."

He reached around her, and she thought he was going to envelop her in a hug - but instead he grabbed the skateboard. Before she could get it back he dropped it and sat on it.

She gaped down at him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm injured, there's no way I can walk back to your dorm."

"You're kidding me. It's right there."

"Too far."

"It's literally right there."

He stared up at her with those huge puppy-dog eyes, and her resolve melted. This boy was going to be the end of her, she just knew it.

"Oh, all right," she said with the most dramatic sigh she could muster. "Turn around."

"Yay!" Percy clapped his hands as he spun around on the board. He sat with his back to her, legs crossed and hands gripping the underside of the skateboard tightly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and pushed him along, very grateful that he couldn't see how wide her smile was. If he saw that she was actually enjoying this he'd probably make her do it all the time, and that just couldn't happen.

"You're lucky I'm so skilled at handling skateboards," she said as they neared her dorm.

He didn't have to turn around for her to know that he was grinning from ear to ear. "I know."


End file.
